LEAVING UKRAINE - AN ACCOUNT OF HOW RUSSIA'S INVASION OF UKRAINE IN FEBRUARY 2022 CHANGED ONE BOY'S LIFE

It’s the beginning of 2022 and Russian troops are massing on Ukraine’s borders. Despite Putin’s insistence that it is just a military exercise, satellite images show vast concentrations of troops, heavy weaponry and even a new field hospital. The region is on edge and the rest of the world is watching. As Putin breaks his word and orders the invasion of Ukraine, sixteen-year-old Yurii leaves his home city of Kyiv in search of safety in another country. Meanwhile Sue, living in an English village two thousand miles away, has no idea that her life is about to get caught up with this boy’s.

‘Leaving Ukraine’ tells the story of Yurii’s lone, six-week journey across Europe whilst Sue fights to get him a visa under the British government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme. His arrival in a small English village in Worcestershire marks the end of his physical journey but is just the beginning of his emotional and cultural journey. Whilst his country remains under attack, this remarkable teenager settles down to live a completely different life and, in the process, makes quite an impact on his hosts, their village and his new school.

Yurii’s Point of View — a note by Sue Johns

The main character in the story is Yurii (pronounced /you-ree/). Part One of Leaving Ukraine is based on his own account, which he told me in various conversations over a period of about six months. He knew that I was recording our conversations and that the information he gave me would form the basis of my book. He was happy to oblige but, of course, being Yurii, he wanted to know if he would become famous as a result! All conversations Yurii has throughout the book are based on what he told me, with some imagined elements added.

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